Contribution of combined use of different ultrasound modes to evaluate mediastinal lymph nodes

To determine the contribution to diagnostic rates of the evaluation of the sonographic characteristics of lymph nodes with EBUS together with vascularity.

In the present study, patients who underwent the Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) procedure were evaluated retrospectively. Patients were classified as benign or malignant by using the sonographic features of EBUS. EBUS-Transbronchial Needle Aspiration (TBNA) confirmed histopathologically with lymph node dissection or in cases where no disease progression was observed clinically or radiologically in at least 6 months of follow-up. Malignant lymph node diagnosis was based on histological examination.

Evaluation was made of 165 patients comprising 122 (73.9%) males and 43 (26.1%) females with a mean age of 62.0 ± 10.7 years. Malignant disease was diagnosed in 89 (53.9%) cases and benign disease in 76 (46.1%) cases. The success level of the model was seen to be approximately 87%. The Nagelkerke R 2 value was calculated as 0.401. The probability of malignancy increased 3.86-fold (95% CI: 2.61-5.11) in lesions of diameter ≥20 mm compared to lesions <20 mm, 2.58-fold (95% CI: 1.48-3.68) in lesions not determined with central hilar structure (CHS) compared to those determined with CHS, 6.85-fold (95% CI: 4.67-9.03) in lymph nodes observed with necrosis compared to those without necrosis, and 1.51-fold (95% CI: 0.41-2.61) in lymph nodes with a vascular pattern (VP) score of 2-3 compared to those with a VP score of 0-1.

Visualization of coagulation necrosis with EBUS-B mode and the determination of VP 2-3 in power Doppler mode were seen to be the most important criteria of malignancy.